Bio

Xavier Hernández i Creus, known more simply as Xavi, was born in Terrassa, Catalonia on 25 January 1980. Known for his excellent passing and his creative talents, Xavi's ability to retain possession and split defences has proved invaluable for both club and country. He is considered one of the greatest midfield players of all time and has won more major honours than any other Spanish footballer in history.

In 1991, at the age of 11, Xavi joined Barcelona's La Masia youth academy and he has since spent his entire career with the club. After graduating from the various youth teams and the Barcelona B team, he made his debut for the senior side in 1998. At the end of his first season, he was named as La Liga's Breakthrough Player of the Year and the team won the league title.

Around the turn of the new millennium, Xavi replaced Pep Guardiola as the main creative force in the team and was named as vice captain in the 2004-05 campaign. He played a role in the club's huge success in the years that followed, winning the league title in 2004–05 and a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double in 2005-06.

The summer of 2008 saw Xavi play a starring role for Spain, as they won the European Championship and he was named as the Player of the Tournament. Despite interest from Bayern Munich, Xavi elected to stay with Barcelona and continued to enjoy success, winning league titles in 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2012–13. In addition, the 2008–09 and 2010–11 seasons brought about further successes in the UEFA Champions League, with Xavi being named as Man of the Match for the 2009 final.

In 2010, he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team, as Spain won the competition and in 2012, he was a member of the team that successfully defended the country's European crown.

Xavi is in the squad for Barcelona's Copy del Rey clash with Atletico Madrid after completing his recovery from a hamstring problem.
The midfield stalwart has been out of action for the last four games because of the problem... Read more